Tuberculosis Scare in California: Dozens of Babies Exposed

Comstock/Thinkstock(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- Sacramento and Solano County officials have been working swiftly in the past few days to contain possible tuberculosis cases in 35 babies who were exposed to the disease when housed in two hospital neonatal intensive care units, The Huffington Post reports.

Sacramento County Officials as well as hospital officials have been attempting to contact the parents of all the babies exposed. At such a young age, babies are especially vulnerable to the infectious disease.

The carrier of the disease has been located, and is currently isolated and being treated. The individual was not aware of their condition at the time. Hospital officials have cited privacy laws as the reason for the lack of disclosure on the individual’s identity, according to the Huffington Post.

Hospital and county officials were able to pinpoint the carrier through attendance records, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye told the Sacramento Bee that the risk of contacting tuberculosis through this case is “minimal,” and “from the medical evidence we have received so far, we believe the risk of infection with tuberculosis in this particular case is low.”

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease, spread through the air, and generally attacks the lungs. It induces cough fits, chest pains and can even cause the person sick to cough up blood. Coughing, sneezing, talking to someone next to you, or even singing to your baby can be ways to spread the disease.

For more general information about tuberculosis, visit the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/tb/.